Research

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of published volumes of annual reports of the department describing functions, activities, and events of the past year, which the department is obliged by law to transmit to the legislature. Reports typically include summaries of departmental organization and responsibilities; departmental progress and changes (personnel, population trends, custody and discipline); institutional population and financial tables; reports by various divisions of the department on criminal identification, records and statistics, industries, education, probation, and children's court cases; and summary recommendations. Later volumes contain photographs of staff, inmates, and facilities. Each report through 1950 covers one year; thereafter, two years are combined in one report (1951-1952, 1953-1954, etc.).